Get College Credit for Your Military Experience: Save Time and Money Earning Your Degree

December 17, 2018 | Purdue University Global

The benefits of a college degree are many: higher earning potential, better career opportunities, increased marketability, and greater overall job satisfaction.

Unfortunately, the length of time to earn a degree and the cost of a college education can make it difficult for some active military members and veterans to afford a degree.

Purdue University Global can help. You may be eligible to receive college credit for your military training, saving you time and money on your degree. Purdue Global is proud to support our active duty and military veterans, and we are committed to evaluating and offering as much credit as possible for your military occupation. This article is a guide to this benefit.

The PME2Degree Program

Purdue Global maps military occupations to specific degrees through our PME2Degree program. We aggressively evaluate your PME (Professional Military Training) to make sure you receive as much credit as possible, while ensuring you get the educational skills you need to become a college graduate.

Through our PME2Degree program, the average Purdue Global military graduate is awarded 58% of the credit needed for an associate’s degree and approximately 40% for a bachelor’s degree.* Purdue Global evaluates occupations and individual transcripts of service members from all branches. For Army servicemembers, at least one degree option has been mapped to every occupation and skill level.

Visit our military program page and click on the degree you are interested in earning. You’ll find the Armed Forces occupations which we evaluated for credit toward that degree.

Other Sources of Credit

In addition to evaluating your military occupation and transcripts for college credit, Purdue Global also accepts other types of credit. These include.

ACE-recommended credit. The American Council on Education (ACE) collaborates with the Department of Defense to review military training and experience and recommend appropriate college credit for members of the Armed Forces.

Credit by examination. You could get credit for training and experience by taking the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST) examinations.

Experiential portfolio. Purdue Global offers a no cost, self-paced course to help students develop an experiential portfolio. This portfolio can then be evaluated for additional credit not covered through other sources.†

No Shortcuts to Degree

Our policies help ensure that our military members and veterans take the most efficient path to a degree, with no redundant learning. Our credit for prior training and education means the outcomes and skills needed to be a Purdue Global graduate can be mastered both from outside experience and within our online classrooms. Ensuring our military students graduate with the skills they need to find success is a crucial aspect of our reputation and a requirement of accrediting bodies.

Learn the Additional Ways Purdue Global Supports Our Military Members and Veterans

These aren’t the only ways we support members of the military, veterans and their families. Learn about our other military benefits. Or, if you’re ready to request information about your program of interest, contact us today.

*Source: Purdue Global Office of Reporting and Analysis. 2017–2018 academic year. Note: all figures include data prior to the March 2018 purchase of Kaplan University by Purdue University and subsequent creation of Purdue University Global. Credit earned in an associate’s degree program through Kaplan University applied earlier as part of a pool of prior degree credit is not included in this calculation. The actual percentage may be slightly higher for students enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs. Individual experiences will vary. Purdue Global does not guarantee transferability of credit from any of these sources. See University Catalog for Prior Learning Assessment policy. Speak to an Admissions Advisor to find out how many credits may be eligible to transfer.

†Students enrolled in Open College's LRC100 course will pay a $1,500 assessment fee when they submit their portfolio for evaluation. This nonrefundable fee may be covered by financial aid.